I apologize, there was a postscript in the preface.
I will correct it.
“Tch, there are an awfully lot of soldiers lately.”
If my objective couldn’t be achieved, it was pointless, so I quickly gave up and decided to retreat from the dungeon.
Unlike my journey in, I was able to advance quite quickly by ignoring the monsters.
However, as I neared the entrance, the proportion of professional soldiers, rather than explorers and adventurers, increased, steadily slowing my pace.
“Master, why are you hiding from such weaklings? Can’t you just take them down without being noticed?”
“First, do I have to deal with your “Search and Assassinate” way of thinking? They belong to the same organization as me. If I carelessly eliminate them, my position will be in jeopardy later.”
“Is that so?”
Himik, who looked like an ordinary woman with her wings hidden, tilted her head at my words.
Speaking of which, I had a hunch when I saw that the supervisor, a demon, could hide her wings and appear as a perfectly normal human woman. As expected, the fallen angel Himik could also hide her wings.
At first, I worried about how to hide these conspicuous wings…
“Can you hide your wings?”
“I can.”
When I asked her directly, the problem was solved in an instant.
Himik now also looks like a normal human woman.
Thanks to this, we can act without attracting attention.
“Stop.”
Sensing their presence, I instantly signaled to stop with my hand and listened carefully. In the distance, I saw a group making clattering noises with their armor as they passed.
The unit that passed through the previous alley was probably the army organized to search for this Dungeon Core.
If they’re moving personnel so openly, are they finally running out of options? I could sense desperation in their intentions.
“Is this it, then?”
I felt an atmosphere of determination to achieve their goal no matter what, and I reaffirmed that encountering them would be unavoidable trouble.
If those people, who are like Japan’s Self-Defense Forces or police, find us, it’s naive to think they’ll let us go. In all likelihood, capture is a certainty. They might even try to kill us without question, just like that atmosphere suggests.
I’m confident I can win if we fight, but the mere fact of fighting here would be problematic. It’s not just about taking lives; even getting injured, or simply defeating them, could lead to an arrest warrant for me.
That’s why I’m currently focusing on stealth.
“For now, you just follow me quietly.”
“Master, that phrase sounded like a declaration of love for a moment and my heart fluttered.”
“I retract my previous statement. Just walk without talking or doing anything else.”
Despite warning Himik to avoid unnecessary actions, I somehow felt my guard drop for a moment. Enduring it, I headed for the dungeon exit while considering a solution.
If only the opponent were someone who would listen to reason, there would be some hope, but considering how the army is being mobilized, the Adventurer’s Guild’s response, and the personality of this dungeon’s administrator that I’ve heard about, it’s futile to expect anything.
If the instructors or supervisors were here, there might be room for persuasion, but wishful thinking won’t get us anywhere.
“I guess we have to achieve what we can… Mait, what’s the situation?”
“…There are soldiers, or what appear to be soldiers, at almost all the main entrances. Not just the Explorer’s Guild, but the Adventurer’s Guild as well.”
Mait, who I had asked to scout the surroundings from the moment we aimed for the exit, reported the situation through the spirit’s vision.
The content was as expected, but as much as I had hoped it wouldn’t be, I wished it had been otherwise.
“Then, it’s only a matter of time before we’re found… Gray-san, do you have any good ideas?”
“I can escape by turning into mist, but that won’t work, will it?”
“It’s impossible for me, a human.”
“Dark Elves can’t do that either.”
“Neither can I, a fallen angel.”
“Then we have no choice but to think of another method. If we could use Teleportation Magic, there might still be a chance.”
“Mait-san, can you use it?”
“Unfortunately, I cannot use spatial magic.”
“I can!”
“Is that so? Gray-san?”
“I can’t either.”
“Master, that’s why I said I can use it.”
“Alright, alright, but… what did you just say?”
“Even for you, Master, you’ve been treating me too carelessly. I’m getting angry now.”
“It’s not that, it’s before that.”
“I said, I can use Teleportation Magic. Haven’t I said it enough times?”
“…”
“What’s wrong, Master? Why are you staring at me like that?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
For a moment, I was about to say that everyone has their own strengths, but I managed to hold my tongue. I had always assumed Himik couldn’t use Teleportation Magic, because I only knew how to fight. Is this what they call tunnel vision? Making assumptions based on first impressions is not good.
“I see. In that case, we might be able to manage.”
“Indeed. I can go anywhere I know.”
“…”
“What is it, Master?”
“…Does it have to be a place you know? What about places I know?”
“What are you talking about, Master? I’m the one using the Teleportation Magic. How can I teleport to a place you know if I don’t know it myself?”
“Ah, that’s right. You’re correct. So, where can you go?”
“The only place I can go to right now is the temple of the Sun God, my former Master. After all, since I’ve been a Dungeon Core for so long, all my coordinate data has changed, and I don’t know any other places I can move to.”
“Useless.”
“I can teleport by referencing past data, but…”
“And if you do that?”
“If a new building has been constructed on the spot, you might be buried in it. Is that okay?”
“Absolutely not.”
However, the world doesn’t just hand out easy solutions.
Himik, who questioned this, was right. Though I felt something from her words, it was my own ignorance for asking a foolish question. And what Himik said was obvious. We came from the outside, but she had been inside the dungeon for nearly three hundred years. Information deteriorates over such long periods. It’s natural that she wouldn’t know what the outside world is like now. It would be strange if she did. This means that our options are narrowing, leaving us with only forceful breakthrough.
“If teleportation is no good, can’t we just dash through at a speed so no one can perceive us?”
“I can.”
“What?”
To avoid combat, the thought, reminiscent of a protagonist in a manga I read long ago who moved at light speed and defeated enemies in an instant, crossed my mind. I understand that’s difficult to achieve. However, if possible, it would improve the situation. Being unnoticed isn’t just about hiding and slipping away. Moving at a speed beyond recognition or perception, whether possible or not, is a kind of reversal of thinking. I said it half as a joke, but this fallen angel said she could do it. Is the catch this time that if it fails, I’ll be minced?
“Master, I can guess what you mean by that expression, but I am a guardian angel. I will proceed with our conversation without you voicing your thoughts. The movement at a speed beyond perception you mentioned can be achieved with time acceleration magic.”
“I see, time-space magic. That would certainly be possible… but to accelerate to a degree imperceptible to this number of people would require a considerable amount of magic power, wouldn’t it?”
Time acceleration magic. A magic I wasn’t aware of, but judging by its name, I surmised it was magic that accelerated the perception time.
“No problem. While prolonged use might be an issue, for short periods, my magic power alone is sufficient.”
Hearing Himik’s words, I paused for a moment and found no apparent problems. Based on what I heard, it’s safe to consider it a superior version of Body Reinforcement. I use Body Reinforcement daily, so I’m confident I can handle even a more powerful version. Mait’s concerns seemed unfounded, and with no other problems raised, we decided to proceed…
“My joints… my joints are creaking.”
“Mmf, mmmph…”
“T-to think the burden would be this great, the reinforcement seems to have exceeded my expectations.”
In the end, we successfully escaped the dungeon. Himik’s time acceleration magic dramatically increased our thinking speed, creating the illusion that all our movements were extremely slow. To the soldiers manning the checkpoints, it seemed like nothing more than a slight gust of wind when we passed.
After quickly passing, we immediately put distance between ourselves and the dungeon entrance and are now resting in an alley. Even though they assumed we were still inside the dungeon and weren’t paying attention outside, one can truly say this was the magic of one of God’s direct creations, an angel. Its effect was immense, but…
“Don’t be pathetic, Master, to be so weak against such reinforcement.”
“I’ll beat you up later.”
“Why!?”
The backlash was also immense. Pushing our perception beyond its limits with an impossible maneuver outside the scope of normal movement. Although my vision was unaffected, my body was not yet capable of moving within that realm. Despite immediately circulating mana to reinforce my body, my body, which hadn’t creaked recently, was screaming. The fact that this strain came not from complex actions like fighting, but simply from running, showed how fast I had moved. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if I had created a sonic boom, or at least a strong gust of wind. It seems this fallen angel did something. I managed to run through without colliding with an air wall. However, I vowed to myself to thoroughly instruct this fallen angel not to think of things based on her own standards from now on.
“Gray-san, Mait-san, can you move?”
“Yes, I think I can manage.”
“Me too.”
“Then, let’s move quickly. If we stay here and get caught, our escape will be meaningless.”
“Where to?”
“They’re probably on alert at the city gates as well, so let’s head to the Adventurer’s Guild first.”
Once we were able to move, we began to move discreetly again. Although attention was focused on the dungeon, I expected the city’s general security level to be higher than usual. Indeed, the fact that we managed to avoid two patrol units exuding a tense atmosphere confirmed my prediction.
“Seriously, why do I have to be wary of my own people?”
The fact that our status as Dungeon Testers isn’t fully recognized by those around us, and the fixed negative perception of humans, are likely the causes of this situation.
I wanted to sigh, but moving my legs was a priority. After muttering those words, I focused and proceeded, remaining vigilant of my surroundings.
“Ah, you’re safe!”
Finally arriving at the Adventurer’s Guild, we found it much more boisterous than when we first entered. It was fortunate to run into Amiricia at just the right moment in a space where finding specific people seemed difficult. She also noticed us and approached quickly.
“We managed. Still, it’s much livelier than when we arrived.”
“It can’t be helped. We suddenly received an order from the lord. It was a lot of trouble. A mutated monster suddenly appeared in the dungeon, and adventurers are forbidden from entering until the investigation is complete. We had to stop adventurers from entering, and all those who were inside were forced out. As a result, quests were abandoned halfway, breach of contract fees incurred, and I’ll probably lose customers… Haa, it’s a nightmare.”
“My condolences.”
Amilicia’s expression had completely changed from before, looking as if she had despaired of this world. Looking around, everyone was drinking, complaining as if to vent their pent-up frustrations. It was, in essence, drinking away their troubles. I briefly glanced at Himik, advertised as a mutated being, but she showed no unusual signs.
“Amiricia, can you spare some time soon?”
“What, an invitation to a date? I’d usually refuse with a smile, but I’m out of smiles right now. I have a mountain of paperwork to deal with, so I can’t even go on a date.”
It was a novel reaction to be refused even without being asked, but I brushed it off with a wry smile, and wanting to save time, I got to the point.
“No, it’s not that. Wouldn’t you want to know what’s happening inside the dungeon?”
Amilicia, who had been despairing along with the other adventurers, immediately changed her expression at my words.
“What happened?”
“Something that can’t be said here happened, at least.”
“…Understood. I’ll have the Guild Master hear it as well. Is that okay?”
“That would be helpful. Also, can you contact the central division of the Demon Lord’s Army?”
“The Guild Master probably has connections. It depends on what you have to say whether they’ll do it, though.”
“Understood.”
“I won’t keep you waiting. Wait here.”
I watched Amiricia enter work mode and leave.
“I hope this improves the situation a little.”
“It looks tough, Master.”
“Whose fault is it? Whose?”
As I was comforted by Himik, the cause of everything, I lamented in my heart the fact that I hadn’t obtained the necessary materials.
Today’s word:
A change of plans is unavoidable…
That’s all for today.
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